Chesapeake Bayhawks midfielder Matt Abbott has renewed his contract with the league for the 2012 MLL season. The Syracuse alumnus was a first round selection (9th overall) in the 2009 MLL Collegiate Draft by the Bayhawks. He is entering his fourth season with the Bayhawks and his fourth season with the league. Abbott was a part of the 2010 MLL Champion Bayhawks team and played a role in winning the Steinfeld Trophy by appearing in all 12 regular season games, tallying 10 points (5 goals, 5 assists) and picking up 47 ground balls in the regular season. Last season he played in all 12 regular season games and picked up 53 ground balls. In the first semi-final game against the Boston Cannons, Abbott scored a goal, an assist, and picked up three ground balls. Abbott is a two-time MLL All-Star.

Charlotte Hounds midfielder Stephen Berger has also renewed his contract with the league. The Washington College alumnus was a last round selection (30th overall) in the 2004 MLL Collegiate Draft by the Long Island Lizards. He is entering his first season with the expansion Hounds, his ninth season with the league. Last season, Berger finished second in scoring for the Lizards with 22 goals, and finished third in points with 27 (22 goals, 5 assists). He has totaled 24 or more points every year since 2006 and had 27 points (22 goals and 5 assists) in 2011. The midfielder has been selected to five consecutive MLL All-Star games.

Boston Cannons goaltender Jordan Burke has renewed his contract with the league for the 2012 MLL season. The Brown University alumnus was a second round selection (16th overall) by the Cannons in the 2009 MLL Collegiate Draft. He is entering his third season with both the Cannons and the league. Last season, Burke was named as the Bud Light MLL Championship MVP after logging 120 minutes in net and making 23 saves, leading the Cannons to their first-ever Steinfeld Trophy. While leading the Cannons to a 9-3 regular season record, Burke led the MLL with a .615 save percentage while ranking second in the MLL with a 10.60 goals against average. Burke, who completed his second MLL season in 2011, has posted a .611 save percentage with a 10.53 goals against average in 15 career games.

Long Island Lizards defenseman and MLL veteran Nicky Polanco has signed with the league for another season. The Hofstra University alumnus was a first round selection (4th overall) by the Bridgeport Barrage in the 2002 MLL Collegiate Draft. Polanco is entering his eighth season with the Lizards, his tenth season with the league. Polanco has played in 74 career games and has picked up 258 ground balls in the regular season. He has appeared in the MLL playoffs four times, once with the Philadelphia Barrage (2004), four times with the Lizards (2005, 2009, 2010). Last season, Polanco led the Lizards in ground balls with 36. Nicky is a five-time MLL All-Star.

About Major League Lacrosse

Major League Lacrosse (MLL), the premier professional outdoor lacrosse league, was founded by Jake Steinfeld and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Major League Lacrosse commenced play in June of 2001 and will enter its twelfth season in 2012. MLL has continued to lead the sport of lacrosse into the mainstream of competitive team sports. The league is made up of eight teams: The Boston Cannons, Charlotte Hounds, Chesapeake Bayhawks, Denver Outlaws, Hamilton Nationals, Long Island Lizards, Ohio Machine and Rochester Rattlers.